INDUSTRY: Australia and Navantia Sign Contract for Design Analysis of Two Supply Ships

Navantia and DMO of Australia have signed the contract for the RRDS (Risk Reduction Design Study) Australian AOR supply ship, called program SEA1654. The contract signing was held at the naval base at Garden Island and attended Admiral Purcell and Patrick Fitzpatrick, both of DMO, the Commercial Director of Navantia, Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero, and the Director of Navantia Australia, Francis Baron .

The contract, which will take approximately 8 months to analyze the design of the Buque de Aprovisionamiento de Combate/Combat Supply Ship (BAC) "Cantabria", built by Navantia for the Spanish Navy, addressing specific requirements Australians.

With this phase of study the process of acquiring two supply ships AOR by the Australian Government starts. Navantia has been shortlisted, along with another company, as a possible supplier of ships.

After this phase, the Australian government will begin the final phase by a request for tender for the construction of ships.

This event, coupled with the recent acceptance of "Canberra", the first of the two amphibious ships ALHD built by Navantia and BAE Systems, by the Commonwealth of Australia, is another milestone in Navantia and shows the importance of this country as a client strategic for the company.

The BAC "Cantabria", delivered by Navantia in 2010, was deployed for several months in Australia, with a mission to integrate and operate with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).